The governing laws of Kuwait’s Foreigners’ Residence Law No. 2249 of 2025 came into effect on December 24 and is designed to keep pace with legal and digital developments, according to the General Department of Residential Affairs.
The Director General of this department, Brigadier Mazid Al-Mutairi, said that this law was issued in 1959, amended in 1965, followed by a ministerial decree in 1987 and many subsequent amendments, the latest of which is in 2019.
Kuwait expat visa rules
He added that the Ministry of the Interior, represented by the General Department of Residential Affairs, decided that a complete review is needed to integrate the framework and electronic developments with the laws, leading to the issuance of new administrative laws.
According to Al-Mutairi, these municipal laws now fully regulate all types of entry visas, including family, medical, business and tourist visits, as well as employment visas for public and private companies, domestic workers and students.
He said the most important was the introduction of new categories of accommodation, including:
- Residential property for investors
- Accommodation for self-employed professionals and private businesses
- Staying with specialized professionals
A foreign investor’s residence visa is issued after an application from the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority in accordance with Law No. 116 of 2013. Ordinary residence may be granted to foreign investors for a period not exceeding 15 years, subject to Cabinet regulations, and may also be granted at the request of KDIPA.
Domestic workers
Al-Mutairi noted that the city’s regulations allow domestic workers with Article 20 residency to stay outside Kuwait for a period not exceeding four months, after which the residency will be revoked.
He clarified that this provision does not apply to those who leave the country before the application date.
The regulations also state that workers brought into the country for employment must be between the ages of 21 and 60 years old.
New digital residential services
He also added that the department, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and the General Department of Information Systems, launched two new electronic services in recent days.
This includes issuing a residence permit for the first time to private sector workers under Section 18, and transferring the residence permit of a worker from the same sector to temporary citizenship under Section 14.
This program is part of an integrated plan to achieve full digital services, in accordance with the directives of the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah.
On tourism, Al-Mutairi said the number of tourists entering Kuwait each week ranges from 17,000 to 20,000, with arrivals coming for tourism, business or family visits.
